The historical origins of Christian Zionism
Christian Zionism has become a frequent topic in recent news, especially as media figures like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes criticize those who affirm Israel’s God-given right to the land—a promise made to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis 12:1–3, 7.
However, Christian Zionism is not a modern invention. While the term is relatively new, its roots stretch back centuries—in fact, as far back as the early church.
Just as Jesus and the disciples were Jewish, so were almost all the New Testament authors, as was the early church they wrote about. As a result of their deep understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, these authors believed in the everlasting validity of the Abrahamic covenant. They also believed in the literal accuracy of the prophecies regarding the life and ministry of Jesus as well as those about future events, including the restoration of a kingdom to Israel.
In the first century, church fathers still held to the theological expectation of a restored nation of Israel. Dr. Tricia Miller, director of CAMERA’s Partnership of Christians and Jews, writes:
The expectation of a future return of the Jewish people to the land and the restoration of the nation of Israel was also fairly common in the early church. Tertullian, a third-century leader, said: “It will be fitting for the Christian to rejoice, and not to grieve, at the restoration of Israel, if it be true, as it is, that the whole of our hope is intimately united with the remaining expectation of Israel.”[1]
As the church grew over time, it became predominantly Gentile. Christians—from pagan backgrounds with little knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures—lost sight of the Jewish roots of their faith and God’s promises to the Jewish people. Most did not even know that Jesus was Jewish.
The Council of Nicaea
The Council of Nicaea of AD 325 was a turning point in that separation. This Council was monumental in affirming the divine nature of Jesus, articulated most clearly in what became known as the Nicene Creed. In his article “Healing the Rift: 1700 Years After the Nicaea Council,” ICEJ President Dr. Juergen Buehler states: “While the creed and the 20 canons that emerged from Nicaea were free of anti-Jewish rhetoric, the official letters [to distribute the creed to churches throughout the world] from Emperor Constantine contained a critical and condescending attitude toward the Jews.”[2] This tone spread throughout the church, resulting in anti-Jewish preaching by some of the most notable church fathers.
Nicaea to the Reformation
For well over 1,000 years, most of the church believed that Christians had replaced the Jews as the people of God’s covenant. Known as Replacement Theology, this interpretive framework reads the Scriptures allegorically. God’s promises to the Jewish people are spiritualized and applied to the church. In rare instances, monks and priests read the Scriptures differently; however, in the church’s first thousand years, this view remained predominant and became the fuel that fed centuries of Christian antisemitism.
The Reformation
This began to change in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when the Bible was translated into the languages of the common people, including into English. Christians began reading Scripture for themselves. They learned about Christianity’s Jewish roots and the promised return of the Jews to their ancient homeland.
As a result, respected theologians and preachers taught of a future Jewish restoration to the land of Israel. Entire movements of Christians began praying for this return. By the eighteenth century, the Restorationist movement had blossomed and included many theologians, writers, and politicians. This movement continued to grow in the nineteenth century; the term “Christian Zionist” was first used by Theodore Herzl, who acknowledged the participation of some key Christian supporters at the first Zionist Congress in 1897. Christian leaders had expanded their involvement in the Zionist cause beyond prayer to advocacy. They did all that they could to help the Jewish people return to Israel.
Christian Zionists today are proud to follow in the footsteps of a multitude of Bible-believers from numerous theological persuasions, countries, and professions—men and women who saw overwhelming evidence in Scripture for God’s continuing covenant with the Jewish people and their right to their ancient homeland. While many Christian Zionists today may differ with these pioneers on other points of theology or politics, they all agree on the biblical significance of the restoration of Israel.
Conclusion
From the early church fathers through the Reformation and beyond, a faithful remnant of believers has stood firm in their conviction that God’s covenant with the Jewish people—His promise to be an everlasting people and a blessing to the world in a specific land—remains unbroken. And though Replacement Theology caused a centuries-long schism between the church and synagogue, the modern shift away from it has enabled the church to rediscover its Jewish roots and recognize Israel’s restoration—both physical (to the land) and a future spiritual restoration.
Clearly, Christian support for the Jewish people did not originate in 1948 with the birth of the State of Israel. Instead, deep-rooted biblical conviction is the driving force behind the Zionist vision.
[1] Tricia Miller, PhD, CAMERA, “No Tucker, Christian Zionism is NOT Christian Heresy! Israel 365 News, November 5, 2025.
Dr. Susan Michael is the U.S.A. Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Director of the American Christian Leaders for Israel network and creator of the Israel Answers website. She is the author of Encounter the 3D Bible and hundreds of articles located on her blog.
